Hardware control interface for IEEE standard 802.11

Abstract

A standardized 802.11 hardware control interface may be provided such that a driver may communicate with any one or more of a variety of network adapters.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method performed on a computing device, the method comprising: exchanging information via a hardware control interface (“HCI”) between a hardware network adapter and a driver software module that corresponds to the hardware network adapter, where the hardware control interface is configured for operating with a variety of different hardware network adapters of different types, where the different hardware network adapters include the hardware network adapter, and where the hardware control interface is network adapter independent. 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  where the hardware control interface is configured for supporting at least a portion of a wireless communication standard. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1  where the hardware control interface comprises:
 a transmission control interface; 
 a transmission status interface; 
 a reception control interface; or 
 a channel switching interface. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1  where the driver software module comprises the hardware control interface. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4  where the driver software module controls the hardware network adapter according to at least a portion of a wireless communication standard. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5  where the wireless communication standard comprises at least one 802.11 standard. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1  where the hardware control interface is implemented at least in part in software. 
     
     
       8. At least one computer storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, based on execution by a computing device, configure the computing device to perform actions comprising: exchanging information via a hardware control interface (“HCI”) between a hardware network adapter and a driver software module that corresponds to the hardware network adapter, where the hardware control interface is configured for operating with a variety of different hardware network adapters of different types, where the different hardware network adapters include the hardware network adapter, and where the hardware control interface is network adapter independent. 
     
     
       9. The at least one computer storage media of  claim 8  where the hardware control interface is configured for supporting at least a portion of a wireless communication standard. 
     
     
       10. The at least one computer storage media of  claim 8  where the hardware control interface comprises:
 a transmission control interface; 
 a transmission status interface; 
 a reception control interface; or 
 a channel switching interface. 
 
     
     
       11. The at least one computer storage media of  claim 8  where the driver software module comprises the hardware control interface. 
     
     
       12. The at least one computer storage media of  claim 11  where the driver software module controls the hardware network adapter according to at least a portion of a wireless communication standard. 
     
     
       13. The at least one computer storage media of  claim 12  where the wireless communication standard comprises at least one 802.11 standard. 
     
     
       14. The at least one computer storage media of  claim 8  where the hardware control interface is implemented at least in part in software. 
     
     
       15. A computing device comprising:
 at least one processor; 
 memory coupled to the at least one processor; 
 a hardware network adapter coupled to the at least one processor and the memory; 
 a hardware control interface (“HCI”) via which the computing device exchanges information between the hardware network adapter and a driver software module that corresponds to the hardware network adapter, where the hardware control interface is configured for operating with a variety of different hardware network adapters of different types, where the different hardware network adapters include the hardware network adapter, and where the hardware control interface is network adapter independent. 
 
     
     
       16. The computing device of  claim 15  where the hardware control interface is configured for supporting at least a portion of a wireless communication standard. 
     
     
       17. The computing device of  claim 15  where the hardware control interface comprises:
 a transmission control interface; 
 a transmission status interface; 
 a reception control interface; or 
 a channel switching interface. 
 
     
     
       18. The computing device of  claim 15  where the driver software module comprises the hardware control interface that is implemented at least in part in software. 
     
     
       19. The computing device of  claim 18  where the driver software module controls the hardware network adapter according to at least a portion of a wireless communication standard. 
     
     
       20. The computing device of  claim 19  where the wireless communication standard comprises at least one 802.11 standard.